DEPARTMENT OF FOREST RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
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Item An assessment of the forest regeneration potential of the taungya system of farming in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis, 2017) Azeez, I. O; Popoola, LBalancing forest regeneration and meeting food and fibre needs of Nigeria’s ever-increasing population challenges is imperative to her sustainable development. Two methods of artificial forest regeneration practiced in Oyo State, Nigeria to meet these challenges are direct planting and taungya systems. This paper reports the performance of the taungya system of forest regeneration in Osho Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria with a view to harnessing information for informed and effective policy decision on sustainable forestry development. Four out of seven taungya centres within and around the reserve were purposively studied using questionnaire administration, oral interviews and direct field measurement. Direct field measurement was undertaken in 10 temporary sampling plots, each measuring 25 m × 25 m. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at P = 0.05. The taungya farmers in the study area were male and a majority (76.0%) had no formal education. More than half of the farmers (56.0%) had knowledge about taungya and silvicultural operations, while 82.0% of them had no other farm outside the taungya farm. The observed survival of trees planted on the farms was high. Significant variation was observed in the circumference at breast height (Cbh) of species under the direct planting and taungya systems with Gmelina arborea contributing to most of the variation and the differences in stand age. The survival percentage of tree species under taungya was higher (52.0% ha−1) than that under direct planting system (41.0% ha−1). The study identified lack of credit facilities, inadequate funding and ignorance of the advantage of tree crops on tropical farmland as well as inadequate technical support as the major constraints of the taungya system. The taungya system is effective for forest regeneration albeit taking care of farmers’ interest beyond the tree canopy closure age is recommended, if more trees are expected to survive.Item Assessment of community based forest management practices in Benue State, Nigeria(International Organization of Scientific Research, 2017-09) Dagba, B.I; Azeez, I. O; Ancha, P.UForests in Benue State are depleting due to anthropogenic activities. Community based forest management had been suggested by various researchers as being capable of stemming the rate of destruction of forests. This study was therefore carried out to assess the presence, mode and level of participation in community based forests practices in Benue State with a view to corroborate or dispute the veracity of the practice. Stratified multistage random sampling method was adopted to select 240 Household Heads who were later interviewed using 240 pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Participatory Index analysis (PI) was employed to determine the extent of peoples’ involvement in various forestry practices. Likert scale rating was equally used to measure the factors motivating and inhibiting respondents’ participation in identified community forestry practices. Modal forestry practice identified was boundary planting (91.2%) with PI of 0.95, followed by home gardens (PI=0.93). Participation in physical execution of work (85.4%) was highest while only 15.8% of the respondents participated in decision making process. Most of the people who participated did so because the practices were relevant to their needs (WMS = 4.30>3.05) followed by the fact that they themselves were part of the planning process (WMS =3.90 > 3.05) while others said that level of literacy was not a hindrance to participation (WMS = 1.55 < 2.95). It was concluded that community based forest management practices existed in Benue State but participation in the practices was most in physical execution of work. It was recommended that people should be involved at the stage of planning, monitoring and evaluation to enhance better participation in Community Based Forest Management by the people.Item Indigenous information as tool for consolidating and promoting natural resources conservation in Igbo-speaking communities of Southeast Nigeria(Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Ibadan, 2016) Onyema, M. C; Azeez, I. O; Edet, D. I; Osuagwu, N. C.Prior to modernization, indigenous peoples had strong mechanisms for communicating, regulating and managing natural resources endowments for their survival and development. Modern knowledge and information management systems have not sufficiently improved conservation and natural resource development especially among rural folks. This study was conducted in Igbo-speaking rural communities of Obowo LGA of Imo State in SE Nigeria to elicit information on conventional and indigenous information dissemination and exchange methods on natural resource conservation with the view to identifying the impacts of indigenous information methods on resource conservation. Data obtained from in-depth Interview (IDIs) sessions with key stakeholders within the locality revealed the availability of medicinal plants, arable lands and rivers/streams occurring in relatively high abundance as attested to by 71.0%, 56.0% and 48.0% of the respondents, respectively. Also, rural people access information about natural resources and environment through a variety of media/platforms (both formal and indigenous). Fractional ranking showed that the top five (5) indigenous information media were oral tradition (1.5), local authority leadership structure (1.5), village assembly (2), story-telling (4) and individual enquiry (5.5). Local authority structure among other indigenous information media manifested the highest positive influence (31.3%) on conservation/consolidation of identified resource. Specifically, local authority was the source of information rivers/streams (63.2%) and arable lands (56.0%) conservation. It is therefore imperative for governments and international agencies to see information media mix especially through recognizable local institutional channels (local authorities) as veritable instruments for sustaining and promoting sustainable development especially of natural resources at different community, national and global levels.Item Determinants of small-scale forestry practice preferences among landowners and land users in Imo State, Nigeria(2015) Azeez, I. O; Onyema, M.CUndertaking forestry practices on private land as a land use activities had been submitted to be mostly situational. There is a strong relationship between forestry and livelihood systems. This makes forestry practice a critical decimal in rural land use equation, most especially in tropical dry forest environment where soil nutrient is maintained by rich vegetation cover. But, in Southeastern Nigeria, the situations that can engender voluntary practice of forestry on private lands had not been thoroughly investigated. This paper therefore reports the findings of our investigation on such situation among land owners and users in Imo State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used in selecting 10% of the households across nine (9) randomly selected local communities in each of the three (3) geo-political districts of Imo State, Southeastern Nigeria. Using rapid rural appraisal technique, an estimated 5,091 households were documented across the selected nine communities out of which 509 were sampled. Data were collected with well-structured questionnaire, which formed the research instrument. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multi-nomial logit regression. Highest preference was expressed by the respondents for raising fruit trees (71.2%) and planting trees with arable crops (60.3%) while lowest preference was for raising woodlot (23.9%). Males showed likelihood for planting medicinal herbs/shrubs (Coeff = 0.897) while females had likelihood for raising woodlot (Coeff = -0.402) within household lands. Within nuclear households, there is tendency for more household preference for planting timber tree species (Coeff = 0.136). This may be adduced to planting of trees within arable cropland to expectedly increase with increase in farm size. The reverse is however the case with raising woodlots on farm land (Coeff = -0.494). The higher energy needs of extended family may be responsible for this. These situations are therefore recommended to be built into planning and policy formulation premise to improve forestry practice for sustainable rural and national development.Item Sustaining rural livelihoods: on-farm climate-smart adaptation measures among smallholder farmers in rural Ghana(Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Ibadan, 2016) Appiah, D. O; Azeez, I. ORural livelihoods, incidence of poverty and climate change are intricately connected in the Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Conscious of the vagaries of climate change, smallholder farmers have developed adaptation measures to sustain their subsistent livelihoods. This paper examines the various on-farm adaptation measures among smallholder farmers in the Offinso municipality with the view to drawing lessons for effective policy making and implementation. A triangulation of quantitative and qualitative research design and a non-probability purposive sampling technique were used. On the basis of populations, 300 interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from smallholder farmers in 6 out of the 24 farming communities in the study area. Data generated were analyzed using thematic analyses of issues as well as through the use of cross and frequency tables, Chi-square test of association and regression at α0.05. Farmers undertook some on-farm management practices such as efficient management of irrigation system while substantially, 33.0% of the respondents did not engage in any of the soil water and moisture conservation practices. However, Pearson’s chi-square (χ2) value of 65.6 with a Cramer’s V value of 0.288 revealed a significant association between on-farm crop management activities and soil nutrients conservation. This paper recommends vigorous direction of extension work by the Department of Food and Agriculture towards harnessing the identified on-farm climate-smart adaptation measures in the study area for sustainable food production.Item Content analysis of forestry information reported in the environmental columns of two Nigerian newspapers(2016) Azeez, I. O; Adeniyi, T.E; Jimoh, S.ODespite availability and functioning of several newspapers in Nigeria, little or no change was observed in people’s attitude towards forestry related issues with attendant decline in the country’s forest resources. This paper reports the content analyses of forestry information reported by two prominent and national newspapers in Nigeria with the view to determining the frequency, space allotted, prominence and content categories of forestry related information in the newspapers from June 2009 to May 2014. Purposive sampling technique was used to select Guardian newspaper and Nigeria Tribune for the study. Data were collected from the editions on the days these newspapers have slot for environmental columns and were analysed using descriptive such as percentage and frequency as well as chi-square inferential statistics at α0.005. It was found that 76.9% of the environmental articles identified by the study were reported by Guardian while Nigerian Tribune reported 30.1%. Also, only 9.0% of the reported forestry related news were on the centre pages while 31.3% took up 201 –300 cm2 spaces of the newspapers under study. Climate change issues linked with forestry (CCLF) was the modal news category (26.9%) reported in the pages of the dailies under study. Further, a significant relationship was established between the newspapers and the space allotted, but none was observed between newspapers and prominence of forestry information as well as between the newspapers and categories of forestry information reported. Training of forestry information editors and canvassing for more sponsor of forestry information in Nigeria newspaper therefore becomes apt.Item Prospect of land grant for forestry development in Igboland, Nigeria(School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, 2015) Azeez, I. O; Onyema, M.CForests are assets that can promote community development and improve household livelihood if sustainably managed. The foremost constraint to sustainable forest management however, is land and in Nigeria, the southeastern (SE) region which is the dominant geographical location of Igboland has the lowest forest cover and available land area for development. This paper therefore reports the prospect of land grant for forestry development activities in the region. Multi-stage sampling (involving States in the region, their LGAs, Communities and Households) was used to select 1,133 households at 40%, 30%, 20% and 10% intensities for the study. A set of structured and semistructured questionnaire was administered to households in the sampled communities. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial regression at α0.05. The proportion of male respondent for the study was high (82.0%). They are engaged in civil service (40.0%), businesses (23.0%) and farming (16.0%). The average cost of a plot of household land is N42,076 and average monthly income was about N79,080. Consent of granting land to forestry development groups by household heads was found to be skewed towards indigenous group (32.1%) followed by NGOs (21.4%) and government forestry department (15.9%). The income of the households as well as market cost of a plot of the household land will positively influence land grant for forestry projects. Age of landowners however showed negative significant influence to land grant for forestry. The possibility of land grant to indigene groups with forestry interests could be comparatively highest in rural communities located away from urban sprawl (Coeff. = 0.092). Thus, for forestry to thrive in Igboland, it should aim at building and foster local content as well as strengthen interest through attractive incentives.Item Contributions of trade in shea-butter (vitellaria paradoxa) products to the rural economy in Saki, Oyo State, Nigeria(Forestry Association of Nigeria, 2013) Azeez, I. O; Salami, R.OInvolvement of rural people in forest-based activities can support private sector entrepreneurial development especially in communities that are endowed with forest resources. Shea butter (Vitelleria paradoxa) is a Non Timber Forest Resource (NTFR) of wide occurrence in Saki town, southwestern Nigeria. A survey was conducted to assess the involvement of residents’ in shea butter business/enterprise and by extension, its contribution to the study area economy. Four (4) categories of practitioners in shea butter business were identified viz: retailers (20.2%), processors (20.3%), gatherers (20.4%) and middlemen (39.3%). Women involvement in the business was over 70% in each of the categories. Again, respondents of various age classes are engaged in the business and mostly had little or no formal education (over 50.0%). This is an indication that shea butter business in the area was based more on homegrown training. This has serious implication for product standards and by extension wider market acceptability. Profits derived from the business was in the range of N91, 333 and N409, 747 per annum, which acceptably can contribute meaningfully to household and national poverty reduction. Training of local populations especially processors in modern methods of resources improvement (raw materials), product value addition methods and marketing strategies will complement local and national economic development efforts particularly at the grassroots’ level.Item Residents’ perception of urban forestry impact on biodiversity conservation in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria(2013) Azeez, I. O; Abodunrin, O.MPopulation growth and unregulated settlement pattern impede biodiversity conservation especially in urban areas. This paper investigated the perception of urban residents in Ibadan metropolis, Nigeria on improving the environment through urban greening and renewal. Respondents were drawn from residents of two educational institutions (University of Ibadan and The Polytechnic, Ibadan) and their respective adjoining communities (Agbowo and Apete). Relevant information was obtained from them using a set of questionnaire. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistical tools. Results show that level of understanding of the importance of trees was high in University of Ibadan (93.4%) followed by its adjoining community (Agbowo: 63.3%) and lowest in The Polytechnic (8.2%). Respondents expressed desire for tree planting especially around their residence when under progressively longer duration of residency. All the residents have preference for planting fruit trees except in University of Ibadan where preference was highest for planting other economic tree species. The fear of wildlife usually associate with vegetation cover and possible fire outbreak were top constraints expressed by respondents which could limit their active participation in urban forestry programmes. Subsidized and affordable tenancy through public-private partnership, restrictions in slum growth and mandatory fire tracing in residential and business premises were advocated measures for improving urban renewal programmes.Item Indices of local community participation in forest management in South western Nigeria(2013-07) Azeez, I. O; Fayenuwo, G.A; Popoola, LCommunity Forestry (CF), a forest management initiative could help solve conflicting barriers to sustainable forest management. This paper reports the factors that will likely promote CF in southwestern Nigeria. Study sites were selected using purposive and random sampling techniques. Lagos State was purposively selected for the study based on its megalopolitan nature in addition to Osun, Ondo and Ogun states, which were randomly selected. Twenty percent (20%) of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the selected states were randomly sampled. Information was collected on demographic bio-data, socio-economic variables and participatory forest management indices from the local inhabitants in the sampled LGAs using structured questionnaire. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics of the ratio scale model. Results revealed that respondents’ distribution was skewed towards the Yoruba ethnic group (92.9%); male gender (80.5%), one to five person household size (56.1%), married (87.5%) and illiterate (26.7%) population. Respondents were also mostly farmers (47.9%) associating more with cooperatives (45.0%) and with modal monthly income of between N10,000:00 and N15,000:00. Awareness about CF among the respondents was very low (23.8%) despite majority’s (70.8%) dependent on forest resources. Out of the fifteen indices of participation in community forest management (ranging from awareness of forestry project to contribution of human resource to maintenance of project) tested using the ratio scale model, awareness about forest project was the most important index of participation with mean People Participating Index (PPI) of 85. However, based on all indices of participation, Ondo state ranked highest with a PPI of 57.1% and Lagos ranked lowest (43.6%) in community participation in forest management. The study recommends more efforts at encouraging improvement in the indices of participation in forest management projects in the study area.